Best-case scenario: Justin Verlander, who had a 2.27 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .548 OPS over his final 14 starts of 2015, is back to ace form for real, and teams with Jordan Zimmermann to form a dominant pairing at the top of the rotation, while Anibal Sanchez bounces back from a disaster season and the team that finished with the American League’s worst staff ERA in 2015 sees a massive improvement. The reconfigured bullpen also is a success, fixing a long-term problem for the Tigers. Victor Martinez rebounds as part of a lineup deepened by the arrivals of Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin (who likely won't be ready for opening day after suffering a broken wrist), giving Detroit, with Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez leading the way, a lineup to rival Toronto’s as the best in the game. One year in last place proves to be a fluke and the Tigers go to their second World Series in five years.

Worst-case scenario: Nick Castellanos and James McCann fail to take the next steps in their development, Jose Iglesias’ bat slips a notch, Ian Kinsler goes into serious decline in his age-34 season and for all the thunder in the middle of their lineup, the Tigers are rather easily handled, all things considered. A lack of depth in the rotation and bullpen lead to winnable games being lost. The season spins off the rails and the Tigers start to look like the second coming of the Phillies, only having doubled down on the idea of contending with the massive outlays for Upton and Zimmermann to go along with Cabrera’s monster deal

Big question: Where does Daniel Norris fit into the equation? One of the top pitching prospects in baseball a year ago, Norris made 13 starts during a rookie season that saw him traded from Toronto to Detroit in the David Price deal. There were encouraging signs, like a 3.75 ERA for a 22-year-old, and holding opponents to a .296 on-base percentage. There also was a 4.63 FIP and a 45-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 60 innings. Norris doesn’t have to be an ace for Detroit, but if he turns into something better than a typical back-of-the-rotation starter, it’s a huge boost.

Don’t forget: Miguel Cabrera turns 33 in April, has won the batting title in the American League four of the last five years and had an OPS+ of 170 last year, when injuries limited him to 119 games. He’s gotten dumped on a lot because he won the MVP twice when Mike Trout had superior WAR numbers, and he’s got the big contract extension, and on and on and on. Criticism of his glove at first base? He was on the plus side in defensive runs saved last year. Don’t undersell Cabrera, still very much one of the top 10 players in all of baseball.

Five crazy-sounding words you can talk yourself into not sounding so crazy: Mike Pelfrey makes sense here.

Over-the-top proclamation to regret later: The Tigers’ ultimate demise will be pinned squarely on personnel decisions made by Brad Ausmus